SFU Berlin | Graduation Ceremony 2026

This year’s graduation ceremony marked a special moment for the Department of Psychotherapy Science. The graduates from both the reformed and transitional study and training pathways served as a clear illustration of how the field of psychotherapy has changed in recent years.

Graduates from the BA programme in Psychotherapy Science were honoured, as were the first graduates of the reformed PTW combined degree programme in Psychotherapy leading to a diploma and professional licence, as well as licensed and qualified Psychol. psychotherapists (VT & TP), art therapists with a Master of Arts degree, and psychoanalysts in training.

This highlighted an academic and professional development that would have been almost unimaginable just a few years ago: a university-based educational pathway extending from undergraduate study through professional registration to specialist psychotherapy training.

The commemorative speeches drew on the thoughts of the artist Paul Klee. Klee did not regard his work *Ad Parnassum* (1932) as a depiction of a summit reached, but rather as an expression of a continuous process of seeking and creating. The same applies to psychotherapy and art therapy: knowledge is never complete. Professional practice does not arise from certainty alone, but from the ability to tolerate both knowledge and ignorance in equal measure.

Psychotherapeutic work constantly strikes a balance between scientific insight and openness to what only becomes apparent during the psychotherapeutic process. It is precisely the recognition of the limits of one’s own knowledge that forms an essential prerequisite for professional responsibility.

The graduation ceremony made it clear that, today more than ever, psychotherapy is understood as an academic healing profession, the development of which must be supported in equal measure by higher education, health and professional policy, research, teaching, clinical care and continuing professional development.

With their degrees, the graduates from the Department of Psychotherapy Science are now entering the next phase of their professional development as part of a growing community of scientific practitioners. They will help shape the present and future of psychotherapy in science, healthcare, teaching and society.

We offer our warmest congratulations to our graduates!

The graduation ceremony also provided the Department of Psychology with an opportunity to look beyond the completion of studies and reflect on the significance of university education.
In his keynote address, Martin Wieser, Deputy Head of the Department of Psychology, provided a historical overview of the university’s development. He recalled that, since their inception, universities have been understood as free spaces for thought – as venues for academic dialogue, critical exchange and the collective pursuit of knowledge. Particularly in the context of an increasingly regulated academic and higher education landscape, he said, it remains an ongoing task to continually reshape and defend these spaces of freedom. His message was that SFU graduates had learnt during their studies just how important it is to engage with different perspectives in an open, critical and responsible manner.

Meine Watzlawik picked up on these thoughts. She drew attention to the personal dimension of graduation and reminded the audience that, amidst academic expectations, future plans and career goals, it is easy to lose sight of what surrounds us most directly: the people who have accompanied us on our journey, and the special moments that are worth experiencing fully. She invited the graduates to pause for a moment in the here and now, to celebrate together and to look back with pride on what they have achieved.
The speeches made it clear that academic education extends far beyond the acquisition of specialist skills. It thrives on the ability to think critically, on open dialogue and on a willingness to take responsibility for science and society.

Having completed their studies, the graduates of the Department of Psychology are now entering the next phase of their professional and personal development and will, in future, help shape the diverse fields of psychology with their knowledge and attitude.